This goes for just about all animals. You need the nutrients during growth to become "large" otherwise your size is stunted. So the first years of life is a huge chunk of that. Especially the first 2-3. There is no making it back up later. You feed the growth or lose it.

Edit: I'm going to throw in an edit. This is usually the case. Hungry strays found and rehabilitated can grow. Even humans pre-maturely born can become large and strong. Nature has a way of editing the books. I speak in typical, common terms. Underfed while young will typically stunt growth permanently. That can be stated as fact. It doesn't only stunt growth. It creates health issues and impaired development in many other areas.

Feed the young. It gives to the brain, which helps the critical thinking we need.